New owners of furniture firm plan move to revived Sears Crosstown

Claude Willis upholsters the seat for a booth that is destined for a Bartlett bowling alley while working at Memphis Contract Furniture in West Memphis, Ark. Willis has worked for the company for seven years. (Photo by Mike Brown)

Posted November 25, 2012 at midnight, updated November 25, 2012 at 12:08 a.m.

A custom furniture maker for the hospitality industry plans to join larger tenants in a revived Sears Crosstown building, adding a key ingredient — production — to the mix of activities designed to draw a lot of people over a long time.

Customer and YoLo founder Taylor Berger made a good impression on 67-year-old Warren Williams, who owned Memphis Contract Furniture until this month. When Williams decided it was time to retire, he gave Berger first shot at buying his company that employs six workers.

“He’s a good guy,” Williams said. “That’s one of the reasons I approached him. I knew he’d value the employees who had been here a long time.”